Sports & Recreation

Sports are a big part of life at Drake—from the chance to join the throng at a football game to representing your hall in intramural soccer or badminton.

Drake’s NCAA Division I athletics program boasts a proud history. Bulldog teams have won 59 Missouri Valley Conference championships, including a league-leading nine titles in men's cross country and eight in women's tennis. Drake women's basketball team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times in the last 14 years. And, in 2001, Drake became just the 18th school in NCAA I-AA history to achieve 500 or more victories in football.

But winning is not Drake’s only prized athletic tradition. Even more important, the athletics program seeks to cultivate world-class leaders through a culture of excellence and ethics.

When it comes to athletic opportunities at Drake, intercollegiate sports is just the start. You can also choose from a host of other options to stay fit, have fun, and engage in a bit of good clean competition.

The thrill of the last-minute goal, the come-from-behind-win, and the clutch play are not just for varsity athletes. To experience all this and more, check out Drake’s intramural program, offering competition in more than 20 intramural sports, ranging from the expected to the less-so (that is, basketball and soccer to dodgeball and Texas hold ’em poker).

If your game is rugby or triathlon, floor hockey or ultimate Frisbee, consider joining one of Drake’s club sports teams. Club teams give you a chance to compete with squads from other schools with a bit less commitment than a varsity sport requires and also to exercise your leadership abilities, since club teams are formed and run by the athletes themselves.

Fitness and Wellness

If nothing makes you happier than a good sweat, get started at the Bell Center. There you’ll find the facilities you’ll need for your workout, and, chances are, plenty of company. Hit the weights, take your choice of cardio machines, run the track, or do some laps in the pool. Or, join a class—anything from yoga to cardio kickboxing, to muscle mix.